Network N has acquired a majority share of Roucan Events

The games media group Network N has acquired a majority share of Roucan, the events company behind shows like WASD and the London Developers Conference.

Roucan was set up in 2021 by David Lilley and Matt Styles, who between them had led events at ReedPop and Gamer Network, and had established EGX and Rezzed as two of Europe’s biggest and most acclaimed consumer games showcases. By the end of its first year, Roucan had established WASD as the natural successor to Rezzed, despite the fact that Rezzed was still around. 

Network N had previously bought a minority stake in the company back in 2022, and is now being clear that both Lilley and Styles still be staying on board to grow its events output over at least the next few years.

Speaking to MCV/DEVELOP ahead of the announcement, Network N co-founder and executive chairman James Binns said “David and Matt are machines who built up a live games event empire in their former job and we’d admired their work from afar, enviously. They know everything about events!”

The deal is seen by the firms as the next step in the planned growth of Roucan and the ability to scale its efforts, and should allow them to court smaller up-and-coming brands and offer bespoke event services.

“We look forward to helping them develop the business over the next few years,” added Binns as part of the announcement. “Our media portfolio will drive community, ticket sales and live activations. Our agency Project N will support them to guarantee their success.

“Because we have a decent reach across our portfolio, our job is to work together to drive ticket sales and grow their audiences using our own brands.”

“WASD has been a rare success in a tough market over the last few years,” explained Roucan co-founder David Lilley. “Folding into the Network N business gives us all the tools we need to build our owned events, as well as providing support for the Network N brands.

“We need to do more stuff. We are looking to do more for brands who want to make a moment when they are either celebrating an anniversary or launching a new product or whatever. People really want to hang out in their communities. That is a truth. The digital landscape is quite packed, so events are a great opportunity where people can get together and talk about their number one passion.”

Roucan will also be one of the biggest events providers to take part in the London Games Festival this April. They will host the London Developer Conference at Savoy Place on April 11, 2024, marking the opening day of the festival. WASD will also return to the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch to close out the festival between April 25, 2024 and April 27, 2024. Tickets are on sale now.